Loss

I think this is pretty accurate. He had some good performances before '89, but they were more isolated.

Meaning that most WWF wrestlers were plodding and not very athletically gifted. Hennig was and it made him stand out, which is a positive. It's not like late 80s/early 90s WWF is a beacon of good work anyway, so it's neither a huge compliment nor a huge insult. But he was probably the best athlete on the roster at certain points and easily the most willing bumper. He was also really good at getting the crowd to hang on to his nearfalls. Those are all positives.

He was one of the best WWF guys in his era. That's what most people grew up on. I'm not sure there's really more to it than that. I'm not even saying that in a critical way.

Jericho also would have had a much better match with him on Raw than HHH did on PPV, and would put him over clean. Jericho had better than expected matches with all the WCW castoffs in 2002-2003. I think it's safe to say that he had a better TV match than HHH's PPV match with almost everyone HHH headlined against during those two years.

Sting had cooled off toward the end of WCW to the point where he didn't even get a reaction in front of their crowds. I'm sure he would have started off strong, but it would have faded fast, just like every other over-40 WCW guy they signed. If people were tired of Hogan after a few months, there's no way anyone else had a chance.

Yes, heel Shawn worked almost exactly like Mr. Perfect -- lots of exaggerated, showy bumps, but no real offense or mean streak. Ziggler is also called a modern day version of Mr. Perfect all the time. We can simultaneously give credit to Mr. Perfect for being an effective character and worker for his era, while also criticizing the things about it that don't hold up to scrutiny.

All the finishing stuff with Flair and Tunney was HOT and extremely well done. Just returning to say that.

I haven't seen much pre-WWF Hennig, but my biggest criticism of Mr. Perfect-era Hennig is that he had almost no offense and that his basics (punching, kicking, etc) looked too finessed. He came across as an athletic guy, but not really a tough guy.

What's the deal anyway? Does he just keep renewing his deal with TNA? How long is he under contract? I understood signing with TNA in the first place, but I don't really understand why he has stayed there so long.

I rewatched the Flair/Garvin TV match from '85 and the Starrcade '87 match. Both are excellent, but the Garvin title win is a cut above for me, and something that after a rewatch I'm completely comfortable calling a 5* match. It was as good as any match I've ever seen. I liked Starrcade, but it was missing my favorite aspect of the Detroit match, which was the slow build to a crescendo. They just started tearing into each other right away at Starrcade, where the Detroit match teased the stiffness in brief exchanges then made us wait for them to really lay everything in. Garvin working basic holds early in the Detroit match was what really gave it the big match feel. The acoustics were better at Starrcade, and I loved Flair's audible yelp when he sold every single blow there. But that's one reason I'm not overly excited about their 30 minute handheld cage match from '86, even though I watched some of it and it looked great too -- a big part of the fun of Flair vs Garvin is hearing them lay in their shots. Just an awesome series.

It was the mid 90s but Pillman in his CALIFORNIA BRIAN phase.

CHRIS CHAMPION.

Which MX vs Fantastics matches do you have on deck? That's what I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the most.

This show motivated me to watch the Garvin title win for the first time in ages. I am very, very tempted to give it the full five stars. It's an incredible match actually and I think I ended up so emotionally invested in it that I need to distance myself a little bit from it before I can actually talk about it and say anything worthwhile. But what an incredible showing from both guys. It's hard to ask for more from pro wrestling than that.

Yes, 11/10 is the good match. If there's no Boston crab with Luger using his head against the turnbuckle as leverage, it's the wrong match. The 11/17 rematch had Luger getting a win after a belt shot and isn't very good at all. JVK, this may be a match that just reinforces your opinions of both guys. I like this match a lot, but I think Luger outworks him in this one.

A few more to choose from. Old comments from me here. Road Warriors & Paul Ellering v Steve Williams, Kevin Sullivan & Mike Rotunda - WCW 02/11/89 This is WAY better than you'd expect it to be. Feels much more like an All Japan 6-man than anything else, even if it only goes about 8 minutes or so. Really intense, heated and incredibly stiff and fast-paced. They get over some of the pairings quite well -- specifically Animal/Doc -- and there's some really nice brawling outside. Mike Rotunda has a rep for being generic, but he's anything but generic here, throwing some wicked kicks and landing a vicious clothesline. Rotunda really has one of the best clotheslines ever. He also seems to be directing traffic for much of the match. Ellering is Ellering, and all he can do is a dropkick, but he's in and out quickly, and he does his one move well, so good for him. Animal plays FIP as the heels attempt to destroy his arm. Some really incredible arm work here, with Williams picking up the ringside steps and throwing them at his shoulder and then jumping off the apron onto Animal's arm while Kevin Sullivan holds him still. Everything you'd want from a US heavies six-man, barring maybe a little more time. Sting v Mike Rotunda - WCW 04/01/89 Ah, the first match on TBS to air from Center Stage! Crowd is rabid throughout, and for good reason, and this is an excellent match. Rotunda had the TV title for over a year at this point (not counting a brief Rick Steiner run), so they did everything they could here to create a big moment, containing both the blowoff for Rotunda as the long-reigning TV champ and Sting's first singles title win. Something like this really couldn't be duplicated today because title changes aren't as important and because no one as over as Sting would go nearly two years without even winning a belt. It also helped that Ricky Steamboat and Lex Luger, the top two singles champions, came out and stood in Sting's corner to ensure that the Varsity Club wouldn't interfere. That sort of overbooking has swallowed matches whole in the past (think Flair/Sting at Bash '90), but here it worked, because the entire match was structured to foreshadow a title change and permanent end of a long run, and unlike Flair/Sting at the Bash, there was no 2-year plus build that seemed anti-climatic when all the focus was on all the antics at ringside. The focus never really leaves the ring here at all. This is like a better version of Rude/Warrior at Summerslam '89, since Sting is a better Warrior and Rotunda, when he was game, was as good as a motivated Rude. Rotunda's bumping is awesome, as he goes sailing to the floor when attempting a jumping lariat and even bumps off of a shoving match later on in the match, when Sting begins a pretty spirited comeback. It's amazing to me how much heat they can get off of simple moves like a side headlock, just because of Sting's charisma and connection with the crowd. It's also pretty amazing how devastated the crowd was when Kevin Sullivan found a way to sneak past the babyfaces and interfere, making the crowd think they weren't going to see a title change at all. The kickout was a great moment, and even better was Rotunda actually attempting a variety of suplexes immediately after that and Sting kicking out of that as well. It was clear at that point that the cheating was no longer going to work. He had to outwrestle Sting if he wanted to win the match, and with Luger and Steamboat looming, there was no chance of getting himself DQ'd to retain. Once that reality sets in to the audience, the heat kicks into overdrive and Sting finally pulls off the win. The wrestling is nothing breathtaking, but this is a textbook example of a match that accomplishes something decisive through basic stuff where the goal was to involve the crowd and foreshadow a title change. I can't even remember the last time a world title change got this kind of reception. Awesome match. I will pimp it to death when it comes time for the Crockett nominations at DVDVR. Lex Luger v Kendall Windham - WCW 04/08/89 Good Lord, talk about a match way better than it has any right to be. Luger does a somersault from the apron into the ring to avoid a spear to the floor and Kendall takes a vicious bump to the outside. Yes, that sequence actually happened and Luger went to the air. The finish was also nice with Luger countering a top-rope lariat into a powerslam that looks it killed poor Kendall. One of the best competitive squashes I've ever seen. Rick & Scott Steiner v Fabulous Freebirds - WCW 11/18/89 I'd love to know the politics behind this one, as Garvin is one uncooperative bastard when he's in there. Poor Hayes is left to carry his team, take most of the bumps, set up most of the spots, call the match *and* take the pinfall. As a one man show from him, it's surprisingly effective, considering he was seen as washed up at this point. Of course, he's limited physically, but his mind is still there, and he knows how to lay out a match really well. Garvin sells absolutely nothing for either guy. Hayes sets up Rick as FIP and builds to a Scott tag and Garvin immediately attacks him when he comes in and doesn't sell the tag at all. It's obvious he was upset about dropping the belts, as he didn't even do all the Freebirds gaga that normally came for them pre-match early on, just staring at the camera while Michael Hayes does it by himself. Lita must have studied this match to master her "I'm jobbing" face we'd see from her the past few years on WWE TV. Very good match almost entirely because of Hayes, and this time period and the way he's viewed may need to be looked at again, because the Luger match from Wrestle War earlier in the year is much better than people say, and he was the glue that held this one together. Sting v Lex Luger - WCW 12/23/89 Fun match. 1989 Luger did have a lot going for him, and you could actually put together a series of his matches from that year against widely different opponents where Luger brings something different pretty much every time out. Other matches, like Luger/Murdoch, see him bring a surprising amount of offense, but here, Luger is all about the heeling and playing to the crowd. Luger uses basically no big offense at all in this match, but he plays the crowd so well by yelling at them, begging off from his opponent and sneaking in cheating tactics when he can that the match still works quite well for other reasons. In this match, he also apparently decided he wanted to be Terry Funk and decides to do Terry's trademark drunken selling, which is highly entertaining. They work some good nearfalls toward the end with Sting coming back strong after Luger is in control, but Luger ends up holding up a chair when Sting tries the Stinger splash, which both draws a DQ and prompts a big brawl with all the top stars in the promotion running in. While Lex was never truly a great worker, even if he was good for a spell, he does an admirable job playing to Sting's strengths here by giving him plenty of openings and making him look really good. It's easy to see why they were the hottest young stars in the company at this time.

I think Flair/Steamboat at the Capital Center (3/18/89) is the best choice to round out the list, but if you're looking for something more quirky, try Bob Orton vs Shane Douglas from WCW on 4/8/89. Here's my review from a few years back: It's not going to threaten the top of your list, but it's a much better match than you'd expect it to be. Luger vs Murdoch is probably Luger's best TV match from '89. There are two though, and one is pretty bad, so I could see difficulty there in making sure you are watching the right match. Terry Funk vs Eddy Guerrero is a good novelty match, but it's only five minutes long. Gilbert and Muta had a pretty memorable match on Power Hour. Most of the best Crockett matches did in fact involve the same guys, so it's difficult to come up with matches that don't involve them.

I enjoy Tabatha Takes Over for the absurdity of it. It seems like someone with such a spotless record of saving small businesses that are about to go under -- and within a week at that! -- would be in higher demand.

I've never watched Pawn Stars, but the show name is an intentional pun, right?

Interesting that the case is still open. Is there a statute of limitations on obstruction of justice? Is it possible that the continued investigation and interest in this story could put Vince in trouble for his part in covering it up? I'm just curious.

Reality TV in general is horrible in keeping kayfabe on the presence of cameras in what are supposed to be surprise moments. To me, that's enough to expose it as a work, but I still know many people who don't understand the degree to which reality shows are scripted.

If there was, I would have done it for myself by now, believe me.

The correct MX vs Windham/Garvin match took place on TBS in the Techwood Drive studios. Soup was right.

Interesting deconstruction of Tully vs Garvin. I've never actually seen that match, but I'd be willing to hear some of the responses to that from those who have loved this one so much.

Jerry's raving over Flair/Garvin in '85 is incredibly entertaining. I love it!